Monday, June 8, 2015

Important Tips On Aquarium Maintenance

By Elaine Guthrie


The practice of keeping fish does not only involve buying them and heaping them into a tank. It involves more than just that. There are conditions that they need to survive, without which they would not do well. The conditions are best provided when the tank is well maintained. There are many routine practices that will need to be followed when it comes to aquarium maintenance in Cincinnati OH. These should be followed to the letter if the fish are to grow healthily.

Tank stability is the most important consideration when it comes to maintenance of aquariums. The most important thing to consider is that all things are running well. If that be the case, there will be no need for any major changes. This is even in the instance that pH or hardness is out of the expected range. However, if there are changes in major water parameters, the tank would need to be attended to immediately. Any other parameter would have to be considered during the routine maintenance.

Water in the aquarium will need to be changed at least once after every two weeks. There is no need to change the entire volume of the tank. Just about 15 percent will suffice. The main technique used is to replace water that is extracted as the gravel is vacuumed. This will get rid of any foods which are uneaten plus the residues which settled as substrate.

It is impossible to see water chemistry and therefore it will need to be checked periodically. The best way to achieve this is through checking tank chemistry during water change. Among the most important parameters are nitrites, nitrates and hardness of carbonates. For most species, pH should be in the range 6.5 to 7.5. This can however be changed if there is need.

The filters will need to be functioning well and therefore the inserts used on them ought to be changed monthly. If however the fish load is higher, the frequency of change should increase. In the event that the inserts have trapped particles, these will decompose the same way they do if they are in the tank. For the filters, they need to be cleaned every month through the use of water from the tank as it is changed.

The maintenance practices are to be performed daily, weekly or monthly. As part of daily maintenance, all equipment should be running properly. The fish will also need to be watched during feeding. This helps to realize any changes in behavior which are always an indication of potential problems.

For the weekly maintenance, the fish will need to be counted. If there is death of fish, the smaller species will decompose fast, bringing about ammonia and nitrite sparks. This will eventually lead to high levels of nitrates. Cleaning the walls of the tank will need to be done once in a while after assessing their condition.

The expiry dates on bottles and boxes should be checked monthly. There should not be use of supplies after they have expired. Expired kits will give false readings. This may prompt one to take actions that are not necessary.




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